Fuld-Gilad-Herring Academy of Competitive Intelligence

The Fuld-Gilad-Herring Academy of Competitive Intelligence was established in 1996 as first of its kind global educational organization solely dedicated to bringing professional training to the then fledgling field of competitive intelligence (CI) [ [http://www.scip.org/Publications/CIMagIssueDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=1988 CI Education Issue] ] . Since then, the Academy has expanded its training to thousands of managers from 58 countries and six continents at its campuses in Cambridge, MA and Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Academy is the only CI-dedicated institution to be externally accredited by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET) [ [www.academyci.com The Academy's web site] ] . It grants CIP certification based on a 12-course program, including a course in ethics and a pioneering course in business war gaming [Allan Hall, “Military moves on the corporate battlefield”, The Evening Standard, 8 May, 2002] , [Dale Buss, “Berlitz for the boss”, Chief Executive, 1 December 2001, p. 38] . To be certified, managers must take a certification exam. The Academy is the largest training institute in its field [ [http://www.academyci.com/About/alumni.html] ] .

=History=

The history of the Academy tracks closely the history of the field of competitive intelligence which has risen in importance during the 1980s with the increase in global competitive pressures and the spread of Internet search engines which made information more accessible. In 1986, the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) was founded in Washington, DC to serve as the professional association for academics, practitioners and consultants in CI. During the next decade, organizations experimented in acquiring and using CI with little discipline and no consistent results. For example, as a survey by the Academy showed, one of CI's main objectives, avoiding strategic surprises, was not being accomplished in many large companies. [George S. Day and Paul J.H. Schoemaker, “Scanning the Periphery”, Harvard Business Review, November 2005, p. 135.] Three early developers of the Society banded together to create a standard of training and performance in the field. They were: Leonard Fuld, whose book, Competitor Intelligence, was the first best seller on the subject [Fuld, Leonard, Competitor Intelligence: How to get it, how to use it. NY: Wiley, 1985] , Ben Gilad, whose book The Business Intelligence System created the benchmark for setting up a corporate CI function, [Gilad, Ben and Tamar Gilad, The Business Intelligence System. NY: American Management Association, 1988] and Jan Herring who was the founding director of the first competitive intelligence function created in 1982 at Motorola Corp. [Herring, Jan P. Measuring the Effectiveness of Competitive Intelligence: Assessing & Communicating CI's Value to Your Organization. Virginia: Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, 1996] Together with the growth of SCIP, the creation of the Academy accelerated greatly the formalization and acceptance of CI functions and positions across global companies, with some estimating that 97% of Fortune 500 corporations today have at least one CI analyst in each of their larger business units. [Matthew Boyle, “The Prying Game: A little knowledge is a dangerous...weapon. No wonder competitive intelligence schools are on the rise.” Fortune Magazine, Advisor/Careers, 17 September 2001, Vol. 144, (5), p. 235.]

Competition

As the field evolved, several organizations in recent years have joined the Academy is offering training programs in competitive intelligence, mostly as an extension of other degree programs, among them Mercyhurst College Institute for Intelligence Studies in PA (an extension of a government intelligence program), Simmons College in MA (part of Library and Information studies) and the University of Denver in CO. (part of a graduate degree in information management). Other programs include the Ecole de Guerre Economique in France and Institute for Competitive Intelligence in Germany. Entry level courses are also offered by the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals.

=Student Body=

The functional distribution of the Academy’s alumni body covers managers and professionals from competitive and market intelligence functions, marketing, market research, business development, strategic planning, research scientists and development engineers. Though the typical trainee is a manager at a Global Fortune 500 company, past participants included some unusual representatives from the Catholic Church, various governments’ defense agencies, farmer cooperatives, national economic development boards, and a Cabinet Minister.

=Faculty=
*Leonard M. Fuld [http://www.academyci.com/About/fuld.html]
*Michael Sandman, B.S. (Clark University), MA, M.B.A. (Cornell University) [http://www.academyci.com/About/sandman.html]
*Dr. Helen Rothberg, Ph.D., MPhil. (City University of New York),MBA (City University of New York at Baruch College), associate professor at Marist College School of Management
*Jan Herring, BSc. (University of Missouri) [http://www.academyci.com/About/rothberg.html]
*Ashish Nanda, A.M.(Harvard University), Ph.D.(Harvard Business School), associate professor at the Harvard Business School [http://www.academyci.com/About/nanda.html]
*Jules Schwartz, Ph.D. (Harvard Business School), former dean and a professor emeritus of Boston University School of Management, former faculty member Wharton School [http://www.academyci.com/About/schwartz.html]
*Dr. Ben Gilad, former strategy professor at Rutgers University School of Management [http://www.academyci.com/About/gilad.html]
*Jay Paap, Ph.D.(MIT Sloan), has held faculty positions at Sloan and Indiana University [http://www.academyci.com/About/paap.html]
*Dan Mulligan, M.A. (USMA Westpoint), Assistant Professor at the Mercyhurst College Institute for Intelligence Studies [http://www.academyci.com/About/mulliganD.html]

=Advisory Board=

The Academy’s advisory board includes executives from US-based Intel, Procter and Gamble, Genentech, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Microsoft, Fidelity and Wyeth corporations, as well as Europe-based Shell, Roche, TetraPak and Orange (brand), and Mexico-based Cemex.

=Sources=1. http://www.scip.org/Publications/CIMagIssueDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=19882. Herring, Jan P. Measuring the Effectiveness of Competitive Intelligence: Assessing & Communicating CI's Value to Your Organization. Virginia: Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, 1996.3. Fuld, Leonard, Competitor Intelligence: How to get it, how to use it. NY: Wiley, 1985. 4. Gilad, Ben and Tamar Gilad, The Business Intelligence System. NY: American Management Association, 1988. 5. www.academyci.com6. Matthew Boyle, “The Prying Game: A little knowledge is a dangerous...weapon. No wonder competitive intelligence schools are on the rise.” Fortune Magazine, Advisor/Careers, 17 September 2001, Vol. 144, (5), p. 235.7. Allan Hall, “Military moves on the corporate battlefield”, The Evening Standard, 8 May, 2002. 8. Dale Buss, “Berlitz for the boss”, Chief Executive, 1 December 2001, p. 38. 9. George S. Day and Paul J.H. Schoemaker, “Scanning the Periphery”, Harvard Business Review, November 2005, p. 135.

=References=

=External links=
*http://www.academyci.com
*http://www.scip.org
*http://www.mercyhurst.edu
*http://www.simmons.edu
*http://www.iacet.org